Chapter 9 - Instructional Media: Chalkboards to Video - CGISS

dictionaries, extra time, separate testing sites, or other special
conditions.
• Bring extra copies of the test to class.
Having too few copies of a written exam can be a disaster. You
can avoid problems by bringing more copies of the exam than
you think will be needed. Also, when duplicating the test, be
certain that no pages are missing. Missing pages can pose a
serious problem unless a contingency has been planned.
• Do not interrupt students while they are taking the exam.
Before the exam, students can be informed that they should
check the board periodically for instructions or corrections. You
can minimize interruptions during the exam by writing on the
board any instructions or corrections that need to be made
after the exam has begun and then calling students’ attention
to them.
Helping
Students
Learn from
Tests
Testing’s most important function is to serve as an educational
tool, not simply as a basis for grading. Not only do tests direct
students’ studying, but also they can provide important corrective
feedback for the student.
Returning Test Papers
Returning test papers promptly is appreciated by students and
conforms to traditional learning principles. However, if you do not
plan to discuss the papers, do not hand them back at the
beginning of the hour or you risk losing students’ attention for the
rest of the hour.
Although students appreciate your returning examinations to them,
there may be some question as to whether you should return
multiple-choice examinations. Multiple-choice items are difficult to
construct, and you may not want the items to “get out.” However,
you can return separate answer sheets so that your marking and
arithmetic can be checked. Allow students to have copies of the
examination while you go through the test. If you follow this
method, however, certain questions arise. Does such a procedure
destroy the validity of the items in future tests Do the students
benefit from an exam review These are experimental questions to
which we have only partial answers, but evidence suggests that
validity is not lost and that students do learn from their corrected
papers, even when they do not get to keep them. Although you
may not wish to spend class time quibbling over some individual
items, you should make known your willingness to discuss the test
individually with students.
Providing Feedback for Essays and Short-Answer Tests
The comments written on essays and short-answer tests are far
more important than the grade. What kinds of comments are
Section: Student Assessment 170 Chapter 12: Testing Issues